Medical Marijuana rewrite bill a step closer to passage

A rewrite of the initiated measure on medical marijuana is a step closer to becoming law.

The House has passed the latest version of the medical marijuana bill on a 79 to 13 vote.

The House Human Services Committee adopted an extensive set of amendments to the bill – outlining what forms the cannabis could take, and lowering the fee for individuals to use the product from the proposed $200 a year to $50.

The chairman of the House Human Services Committee -- Rep. Robin Weisz (R-Hurdsfield) said the bill is not perfect -- but...

"What we have here is a product that will work," Weisz said on the House floor. "It will allow people reasonable, cost-effective access for those that truly need medicinal marijuana. It also insures the security that we will not have an illegal diversion, keeps it safe, and answers what the measure intended."

Rep. Pam Anderson (D-Fargo), a supporter of medical marijuana, told her House colleages she receved a text from the sponsors of the initiated measure, outlining a post on their Facebook page.

"It said, 'If you all haven't seen the amendments, take a leap of faith -- call your House representatives and encourage them to vote for SB 2344," Anderson said. "With the hard work of the Human Services Committee, they made SB 2344 more like the original Compassionate Care Act. Thank you for putting North Dakota patients first.'"

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A House Committee is hoping to have the medical marijuana bill on the House floor late this week.

The House Human Services Committee has the bill – and lawmakers plan to work on the bill for the next few days.

The bill rewrites the medical marijuana initiated measure voters passed in November. The supporters say they did that to make it conform to North Dakota standards, write rules and de-criminalize medical marijuana. The measure needs a two-thirds vote in each house. The Senate made some changes to the bill – and the House committee is also working on amendments.

More changes ahead for the Legislature's medical marijuana regulation bill.

The House Human Services Committee heard the bill Tuesday. It's designed to rewrite the medical marijuana initiative voters passed last November – and make it conform to state standards.

"This is a relatively new industry," State Deputy Health Officer Arvy Smith told the Committee. "The Health Department is put into the position of needing to regulate an industry that does not yet exist. It has been challenging."